Life skills in adolescents to face violence

For Roberto, the word "survival" recalls a difficult stage in his story. At age 16, he encountered the struggle with addiction issues amidst the harshness of the street environment, and “survive” was the only thing he could do for a long time. Despite the adversities of those days, he made one of the most important decisions in his life: to leave the street.

His first home was an assistance house, where he had food and shelter, but after a while he realized that this was not enough; that he had to go one step further, and thus, with help from the caretakers of that house, he approached Fundación Pro Niños.

After a first contact stage, Roberto established a stronger link with the Foundation and received the invitation to join our residential program "House of Transition to Independent Living" (CTVI), a space where adolescents and young adults, with support from trained educators, prepare themselves for an autonomous life.

Today, at age 21, on the one hand Roberto feels more sure of himself, and on the other, he feels he is part of a family. He has managed to overcome his addictions, control his emotions and improve communication with the people around him. He resumed his high school studies and has managed to secure a formal job.

Roberto's plan for the future is to study law and become a lawyer. He tells us that he thinks that would be the best way to help others who, like himself, look for an opportunity to get ahead. The message he sends to other youngsters in a vulnerable situation is: "You can definitely leave the street if you are determined to."

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Last July, the Pro Niños Summer Course 2018 was held in a festive atmosphere of respect and reflection. Together with girls, boys, adolescents and youths from the program From Street to Hope and from the Family Assistance Program (FAP), we celebrated yet another cycle of team work around the rights of children, violence prevention and a healthy diet.

Through games and recreational activities, the youngest children managed to bring out the artist in them, learning about the importance of teamwork and assertive communication in the process. Every single activity was accompanied by a reflection on their rights and how to exercise them.

For the youths and adolescents of the FAP, we had a course aimed at strengthening the social skills that will enable them to relate and talk to others constructively; identify different possible solutions to a problem; and control their emotions when facing a potential conflict in order to solve it without stress or anger. Each youngster could avail themselves of a photographic camera while visiting different museums in Mexico City and touring their own neighborhood, so they could capture special moments, imprinting their personal seal upon them.

Thus, on Friday the 27th of July, our summer course came to a close with a photographic exhibit showcasing the work of these youngsters, who in turn enjoyed the opportunity to get together in a space where they recognize themselves as valuable individuals who deserve to be heard and treated with respect and affection, leading to access to better opportunities that allow for the building of a life project away from the street, with healthier family, school and social environments.

The only thing remaining for us to do now is to thank heartily all the people who made this summer course possible: educators, volunteers, administrative staff, and—most specially—all the youngsters who decided to attend. To all of them: MANY THANKS!

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• http://ingles.proninosdelacalle.org.mx/latest-news

Last June 7th, the “Violence prevention" Rally was held at the "Pedro Díaz” Technical High School No. 16., as part of the closing of the "Skills for life" workshops offered by the Pro Niños Foundation.

Street Work educators joined efforts with the Educational Training and Innovation Coordination, to carry out activities aimed at promoting the development of protective factors in the students. The central theme of the rally was How can we prevent and identify violent actions? and What can be done to solve them?

21 students participated at five work stations, reflecting on violence and its impact on young people. As a team, the youngsters built the “violencemeter", an instrument to quantify the different levels of violence they experience in their environment. At the end, a “Wall of nonviolence” was created, in which everyone wrote or drew a personal reflection.

With this rally we created a space for reflection inside the classrooms, that enables youngsters to identify on their own those situations—whether in the school, family or community life—that place them at risk of drug use, violence, school desertion and taking to the street.

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• You can help more girls and boys out of the streets

On April 13, the 9th anniversary of the Transitional House for Independent Living (CTVI) was celebrated; a home for young people who lived on the street and after a process of reflection, decided to give up that lifestyle. For diverse reasons, some of them cannot reintegrate with their families, they cannot stay in a care home because they are almost adults, others may have lived in care institutions, but they all have something in common: they are ready to prepare for independent living.

Pro Ninos believes that all human beings have the ability to decide, reflect and change themselves to not do things they don’t like. At CTVI we support these young people in the construction of their life project, strengthening their safe spaces, health care, specialized medical attention, emotional support, tools to solve conflicts without violence, healthy relationships, assistance to continue studying, training for formal work, time and money management, among many other areas of moving to an independent life.

Amid laughter, applause, nostalgia, joy and a little magic, the young people of CTVI celebrated another year of effort and collaboration in the company of friends, educators, administrative staff and graduates of the House, which are clear examples that together we can change the course of our lives, even at the most adverse moments.

We trust that CTVI will continue to work for many more years, assisting adolescents and young people who strive to achieve an independent life away from the streets and to have a dignified, stable and productive life.

Meet the Garcia Family.

We all have a dream in life and the Garcia´s family dream is to have a house to live in comfortably. Rocio*   had six children: Luis, 21 years old; Alejandra 17; Daniel 16; Manuel 15; Alberto 13 and Ramón 10. All have different goals, but they share a common goal: to build a family environment of respect and collective participation.

After almost seven years of living apart, they face a broad and complex challenge: learning to be a family again. Recognizing and integrating as a family was part of the first stage. After the years they were separated, it was not easy to live together again; Rocio told us. Now 46, she has had to work very hard to encourage and motivate her children toward a better life. The "Family Support Program" (PAF) has been a great help to the García family, who since 2013 participated in various activities at the Pro Niños foundation. The Garcia family has regained the communication, confidence and security that they lost for many years, through participation in workshops, family dynamics and collaborative work.

Luis, the eldest of the family; at the age of 21, has begun an independent life and together with his wife and son, they are beginning to write their own family history. Now his goal is to move his family forward and not make the mistakes of the past.

Alejandra, aged 17, lived a large part of her childhood in an orphanage, and now, after returning to live with her mother, has become her right hand. The trust between both has been reinforced as a result of the gradual support offered by the PAF. Today Alejandra, with a scholarship and excellent academic reports, has a very clear goal: finish high school and study architecture, which she will undoubtedly achieve.

Daniel, who has participated in the PAF's sports activities, is beginning his studies in high school. He knows that the rules of coexistence at home are important to maintain a healthy relationship with his brothers. At 16 he knows that his studies will be a bridge to opportunities in the future.

As for Manuel, he is in his second year of junior high school and actively participates in the activities at Pro Niños. He is the closest to his sister Alejandra and helps at home to organize household chores. And his favorite part of the PAF is undoubtedly the camping outings, which have helped his emotional and cognitive development.

Ramón, the youngest of the family, is a very intelligent, extroverted and charismatic boy who has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and his permanence in school has been interrupted. The challenge for Ramón is to build better relationships with his brothers. Today he practices swimming and is in the process of resuming his studies.

Rocio tells us that the pieces were falling in place little by little. She recalls with tears in her eyes, the story of her family none have had an easy road to follow, each with its own history, and each with its own struggle. Today, and thanks to the effort of each of the members of the family and the support of the PAF, the future looks very optimistic. As this puzzle continues to be formed, the family is more united and communication and teamwork is making them a better version of themselves.

*The names of the mother and her six children have been changed to protect their identity.